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The Province of Joy: Praying with Flannery O'Connor
“Like a beautiful quilt, Province of Joy is a deeply loving, imaginative work of art and faith.” –Elizabeth A. Johnson
This unique “Book of Hours” is modeled on the spiritual life and prayer practices of one of our most interesting writers.
“Flannery O’Connor’s stories help us see grace in the most difficult of circumstances. O’Donnell artfully combines selections from her writings with daily prayers and readings for something wonderful: a prayer book that is old and new, timely and timeless, comforting and provocative.” –James Martin, SJ, author of Between Heaven and Mirth
This unique “Book of Hours” is modeled on the spiritual life and prayer practices of one of our most interesting writers.
“Flannery O’Connor’s stories help us see grace in the most difficult of circumstances. O’Donnell artfully combines selections from her writings with daily prayers and readings for something wonderful: a prayer book that is old and new, timely and timeless, comforting and provocative.” –James Martin, SJ, author of Between Heaven and Mirth
- GenresPrayer
160 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 29, 2012
This is a beautiful book, both in the cover and content. It guides the reader through the liturgy of the hours for seven days, using Flannery O'Connor's writing for the contemplative prompt. It also includes some of her favorite quotes, prayers, saints, and so-forth. I'm looking forward to sitting down with this. From Paraclete Press which continues to impress me with their interest in melding literature and prayer.
February 23, 2021
This is an amazing morning and evening prayerbook, especially if you appreciate Flannery O'Connor stories!
July 9, 2022
Beautiful prayers with a beautiful cover. I love Flannery O'Connor and I am grateful the author has compiled it. Thank you.
April 10, 2012
The short life of Flannery O’Connor unleashed some of the greatest fiction the world has known. Writing as a Southerner and a Christian, her characters showcase both the grotesque and the operations of God’s grace. But what are the Spiritual disciplines that nourished the spirituality of the artist and gave O’Connor her unique literary vision? What was her prayer life like? What insights can we gain from following her practice?
In the Province of Joy: Praying with Flannery O’Connor, Angela Alaimo O’Donnell has drawn together a unique prayer-book which is both a devotional work and an exploration of the prayers, poems and poetry that inspired O’Connor. As O’Donnell describes her project:
It is an attempt to assemble from materials O’Connor would have invested with authority and significance a prayer book she would not find “awful,” but instead, might see as a helpful guide for those seeking a language and format for prayer that places ancient practice within a contemporary context. It also provides an opportunity to engage the rich theological imagination of Flannery O’ Connor, to come into daily contact with her special mode of holiness–one that is grounded in an unswerving love of Christ and characterized by her extraordinary clarity of vision and a fearless commitment to her craft as a means of accomplishing good in the world(12).
The result is a window into O’Connor’s practice and exploration of various themes which are important in her work. The main part of the prayer-book is comprised of the daily office pre-Vatican II Catholic’s would have likely practiced, organized around various themes. Each day’s prayer, includes prime and compline (morning and evening prayer), various Bible readings, a ‘lectio divina’ on a passage from one of Flannery O’Connor’s letters and suggestions for further reading on the day’s theme from O’Connor’s ficiton. Here are the topics for each day:
Sunday: The Christian Comedy
Monday: The False Self & the True Self
Tuesday: Blindness and Vision
Wednesday: Limitation and Grace
Thursday: The Mystery of the Incarnation
Friday: Facing the Dragon
Saturday: Revelations & Resurrections
The second part of this book, draws together poetry, prayers, poems and quotations that were important to O’Connor (culled from her essays, lectures and letters). These offer a window into the things that O’Connor valued and the spirituality that nourished her.
Angela O’Donnell, herself a poet and professor at Fordham University is well acquainted with O’Connor’s works (having taught literature classes focused on her). What I liked best about this book is the ways in which the prayer practice commended here reveals a fresh Flannery O’Connor and this is testament to O’Donnell’s genius. Of course as protestant and a Northerner, some of O’Connor’s spirituality remains opaque to me, but I found enough here that provoked me to reflection and prayer. This book is a welcome addition to the library of any O’Connor fan (and if you aren’t one, it may introduce you to her).
This book was provided for me by Paraclete Press in exchange for this review.
In the Province of Joy: Praying with Flannery O’Connor, Angela Alaimo O’Donnell has drawn together a unique prayer-book which is both a devotional work and an exploration of the prayers, poems and poetry that inspired O’Connor. As O’Donnell describes her project:
It is an attempt to assemble from materials O’Connor would have invested with authority and significance a prayer book she would not find “awful,” but instead, might see as a helpful guide for those seeking a language and format for prayer that places ancient practice within a contemporary context. It also provides an opportunity to engage the rich theological imagination of Flannery O’ Connor, to come into daily contact with her special mode of holiness–one that is grounded in an unswerving love of Christ and characterized by her extraordinary clarity of vision and a fearless commitment to her craft as a means of accomplishing good in the world(12).
The result is a window into O’Connor’s practice and exploration of various themes which are important in her work. The main part of the prayer-book is comprised of the daily office pre-Vatican II Catholic’s would have likely practiced, organized around various themes. Each day’s prayer, includes prime and compline (morning and evening prayer), various Bible readings, a ‘lectio divina’ on a passage from one of Flannery O’Connor’s letters and suggestions for further reading on the day’s theme from O’Connor’s ficiton. Here are the topics for each day:
Sunday: The Christian Comedy
Monday: The False Self & the True Self
Tuesday: Blindness and Vision
Wednesday: Limitation and Grace
Thursday: The Mystery of the Incarnation
Friday: Facing the Dragon
Saturday: Revelations & Resurrections
The second part of this book, draws together poetry, prayers, poems and quotations that were important to O’Connor (culled from her essays, lectures and letters). These offer a window into the things that O’Connor valued and the spirituality that nourished her.
Angela O’Donnell, herself a poet and professor at Fordham University is well acquainted with O’Connor’s works (having taught literature classes focused on her). What I liked best about this book is the ways in which the prayer practice commended here reveals a fresh Flannery O’Connor and this is testament to O’Donnell’s genius. Of course as protestant and a Northerner, some of O’Connor’s spirituality remains opaque to me, but I found enough here that provoked me to reflection and prayer. This book is a welcome addition to the library of any O’Connor fan (and if you aren’t one, it may introduce you to her).
This book was provided for me by Paraclete Press in exchange for this review.
September 14, 2015
Wonderful prayer book that has added much to my appreciation of the Liturgy of the Hours and Flannery O'Connor.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews